Investigation continues; community mourns local killed

Published: Thursday, April 25, 2013 at 10:41 AM.

DESTIN — Law officers say it likely will take weeks to investigate Tuesday’s fatal crash on U.S. Highway 98 and Danny Wuerffel Way.

The accident that killed 23-year-old Joseph “Joey” Tyrell III of Crestview and 42-year-old James Bennett of St. Petersburg occurred about 3 a.m. and shut down the intersection for almost four hours.

Investigators have determined Tyrell was driving west on U.S. 98 in a white Mazda when he collided with Bennett’s Chevrolet Blazer, according to Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Deputy Matt Christmas.

Both men were pronounced dead at the scene.

“I have not determined where the Chevy was coming from yet. It might take me a few weeks to determine that,” Christmas said. “I have no witnesses to this crash and have to reconstruct it from scratch.”

Chris Clark, a friend of Tyrell, said the Niceville High School graduate was headed home from his job training to be a sous-chef at Hammerhead’s Bar & Grille at Sandestin.

Tyrell’s family has invited the public to attend visitation from 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday and a celebration of life ceremony at 3 p.m. Monday at Brackney Funeral Service in Crestview.

Clark said the family asks visitors come as they are in bright clothes and to display any body art — just what Tyrell would have wanted.

“His legacy was his music,” Clark said. “He was big into the underground music scene for years. But the biggest thing about Joey is he was one of the biggest-hearted people I knew.

“He was 6’8” with tattoos and piercings. If you saw him walking down the sidewalk you would cross the street to avoid him, but he was the kindest person I knew.”

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DESTIN — Law officers say it likely will take weeks to investigate Tuesday’s fatal crash on U.S. Highway 98 and Danny Wuerffel Way.

The accident that killed 23-year-old Joseph “Joey” Tyrell III of Crestview and 42-year-old James Bennett of St. Petersburg occurred about 3 a.m. and shut down the intersection for almost four hours.

Investigators have determined Tyrell was driving west on U.S. 98 in a white Mazda when he collided with Bennett’s Chevrolet Blazer, according to Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Deputy Matt Christmas.

Both men were pronounced dead at the scene.

“I have not determined where the Chevy was coming from yet. It might take me a few weeks to determine that,” Christmas said. “I have no witnesses to this crash and have to reconstruct it from scratch.”

Chris Clark, a friend of Tyrell, said the Niceville High School graduate was headed home from his job training to be a sous-chef at Hammerhead’s Bar & Grille at Sandestin.

Tyrell’s family has invited the public to attend visitation from 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday and a celebration of life ceremony at 3 p.m. Monday at Brackney Funeral Service in Crestview.

Clark said the family asks visitors come as they are in bright clothes and to display any body art — just what Tyrell would have wanted.

“His legacy was his music,” Clark said. “He was big into the underground music scene for years. But the biggest thing about Joey is he was one of the biggest-hearted people I knew.

“He was 6’8” with tattoos and piercings. If you saw him walking down the sidewalk you would cross the street to avoid him, but he was the kindest person I knew.”